Have you done the “deception test” yet?

Before we do the test I just want to give you a bit of background regarding deception in the church of Christ:

Take “spiritual warfare” as an example. Ever since I was saved this term really bothered me. Just the sound of these two words clashed with my spirit since the first time I heard it. This just did not make any sense to me. To the church, Jesus Christ Himself, the apostles and millions of Christians right through the ages tried to defeat satan but nobody could defeat him and his demons yet. The war goes on and on. Just the other day I saw a disgusting image of our Lord Jesus Christ engaged in an arm-wrestling contest with satan.

Through the years though, I thankfully learned a quite different story. I was fortunate enough to be taught by Spirit-filled men of God who did not believe this lie one bit. These guys really studied the word of God. They were taught by the Spirit and in turn they taught God’s people the truth.

Having said that, I need to make the following statement: Of course I know that there is a war between us and evil! It is just that children of God are completely ignorant about the principles governing this war and they are also ignorant about the way that evil needs to be resisted.

It is absolutely amazing how easily people are being deceived into believing all sorts of false doctrine without even realizing it. The fact is that these people do not know the Scriptures. If they knew the Scriptures they would have realized immediately when somebody attempted to teach them a false doctrine. The mistake that we made through the years and still make today is relying on pastors and ministers to teach us instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to teach us. It is quite a different story when you take up the word of God yourself to study. You will be amazed at the results when you study the word of God yourself. If you really ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to teach you that is exactly what happens. It is then a totally different story all together because when the Holy Spirit starts to reveal the word of God and the will of God to you, you supernaturally understand God’s will and God’s word.

What makes the difference? When you personally study the word of God you gain firsthand knowledge of the word of God. It is like planning your own trip to a really far destination. When you go through the detailed maps yourself you become familiar with all the information you need to know in order to reach your destination safely. If you rely on others to plan the trip for you though, you do not know anything except the directions that the person gave you. In such a case you just do not possess all the knowledge and information that you need to address all the difficulties and possible drawbacks that might cross your path. It is like being kept in the dark. You do not even know if the directions itself are correct in the first place.

We cannot rely on other people when it comes to the will of God and the word of God. We really do need to have a personal relationship with God. We do need to communicate with God and we do need to allow God to communicate with us and to teach us His word.

This post enlightens the subject of “spiritual warfare” but you need to be brave enough to proceed with your own studies if you really want to know the truth. You cannot rely on others. So many people have been deceived and therefore they deceive many people in return. There is a Scripture that supports this statement to the letter:

2 Timothy 3:13-17

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

This portion of Scripture makes it as clear as daylight. Verse 13 clearly says that there are people who are being deceived. It also says that these people also deceive others. Verses 14-17 confirm that we have learned from God, if we allowed Him to, and that we do have the Scriptures which is able to reproof, correct and instruct us in righteousness. Each and every doctrine need to be supported by Scripture. If there is no Scripture to support it then it is just not true.

An example is the false doctrine of generational curses. Did you know that there are absolutely no Scriptures that state or indicate that Christians are or can be punished because of the sins of their ancestors? Did you also know that there are actually Scriptures that clearly state that the sons WILL NOT carry the sins of their ancestors and that the ancestors WILL NOT carry the sins of the sons? Yet people believe in generational curses. Did you know that the only reference to generational curses was made only to heathen nations and people who hate God? Did you know that there are Scriptures that state that God even took generational curses away from heathen people and unbelievers?

This implies that since the cross, even unbelievers and people who hate God do not have to carry the sins of their ancestors? Did you know that there is not even one Scripture in the whole Bible that says that we must repent of the sins of our ancestors? Did you know that there is not one Scripture in the whole Bible that says that we must break generational curses? Did you know that there actually are a number of Scriptures that say that we must only repent of our own sin? Did you know that there actually are Scriptures that say that the sins of the one who committed that sin will be on him and on him alone? Did you also know that there are actually Scriptures that say that the righteousness of a person can only save him alone? That implies that nobody can be made righteous by their ancestors just as nobody can be made unrighteous because of the sins of the unrighteous or ancestors. There are Scriptures for all the statements I made here. I am going to give you those Scriptures but first I need to discuss a very important Biblical principle with you. This principle is of the utmost importance. If you know and understand this principle you cannot be deceived.

What is this principle? No matter how unbelievable Scripture might seem to you, it always is and always means exactly what it says!

The moment people ignore this principle, those people open themselves to deceit. The moment you expose yourself to believe something contrary to what Scripture says, at that moment you become a victim of deceit. Really! Does this principle always work with all Scriptures? Yes it does. There are no exceptions. You can test this principle if you want to. In fact, we call it the “Deception test”.

It is quite easy to determine whether you have been deceived and whether you are still being deceived. This test proves these two facts beyond any doubt.

The test is done in two easy steps:

Step 1 will determine whether you have been deceived and step 2 will prove it beyond any doubt.

This is quite easy. Are you ready for the test?

Step 1: Just answer the following questions with a simple “yes” or a “no”:

Are there any scriptures that you know of that make certain statements, but you actually believe the contrary? This means you know of Scriptures that make some statements but you also know that you actually do not believe that those Scriptures are valid anymore.

Do you know of people who actually believe these Scriptures? This means that there actually are people who declare that they believe these Scriptures and that these Scriptures are true. They do experience the results of what these Scriptures promise.

Do you believe the contrary without supported scriptures to prove the contradiction? This means you do not know any Scriptures that actually directly contradict those Scriptures.

Now that was easy! Did you answer these questions honestly? How do you feel about these Scriptures?

Mark 11:23-24

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall sayunto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

John 14:13-14

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

If your answer on at least one of the three questions above was “yes”, then you probably have been deceived and are still being deceived. Step two of this test will prove the facts beyond any doubt.

When the Bible makes any statements, those statements are true unless it has been overruled by another Scripture. In such a case the most recent scripture cancels the validity of the first or the former Scripture. You will probably recognize such Scriptures by statements made to this effect by the relevant writer or person that made that claim in the Bible. Jesus for instance brought up some Old-Testament Scriptures that were changed with the following words: “It was written that… then something will follow like “a tooth for a tooth”…and then He will say, “But I tell you”…followed by the change or the correct statement. Remember God is always the same. He does not change but He does change things. For instance, in the Old Testament salvation could be obtained through the blood or the offering of a lamb. God changed this by substituting the lamb in the New Testament with Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God.

The above references are classic examples of Scriptures that have been changed. The Bible belongs to God because it is the word of God. He may change the word exactly like Jesus did in this case. If Scripture had not been changed then the first applicable Scripture still is the truth.

This is why the “Deception test” is so easy to do. This test is absolutely foolproof and the reason why it is foolproof is the complete absence of contradictory scriptures for all the valid statements in the Bible. Let us proceed and complete the “Deception test” now.

Step two: Just answer the following questions with a simple “yes” or “no”:

Do you believe that Jesus Christ still heals people even today?

Do you believe that people are still being baptized in the Holy Spirit today?

Do you believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still functioning in peoples lives today as it did in Biblical times?

Do you believe that we are living in the last days?

Do you believe that according to the prophet Joel that in the last days the Holy Spirit will come upon people and that they will dream dreams and that they will see visions? Do you believe that people still see visions?

Do you believe that people are still casting out demons, still laying their hands on people to heal them from diseases, still speaking in tongues, still prophesying and still functioning in all the other gifts of the Spirit?

Do you believe that generational curses does not exist anymore as stated above in Ezekiel 18:20?

If you answered “no” on any of these questions than you have been and still are being deceived. As a reminder; God followed a very important principle in the Bible that is very important for all of us to know. That principle is the following: All statements in the Bible made by God directly or by His prophets are in fact plain and simple the truth. It is exactly what it says and it means exactly what it says. That is why people believe these statements. Those who do not believe these statements are simply being deceived.

You can of course test yourself on a number of Scriptures. People who have been seriously deceived will find that there are quite a number of Scriptures or statements made in the Bible that they do not believe. They actually believe the contrary although there are absolutely no Scriptures that support their beliefs. These people will find that certain “man made statements” actually support their beliefs. This is where the deception comes in. If there is no Scripture that contradicts the original statement, another statement will do the trick.

Example:

Scripture or statement: Mark 16:16-20

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

19So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Now some people absolutely believe this Scripture. Yes they do, even though some parts in this Scripture seem totally outrageous. They however believed Christ and they speak with new tongues, they cast out devils, they lay hands on the sick, they take up/away snakes (demons), deadly things do not hurt them, signs and wonders follow them. These people do not only believe, they also do these things. These people knows that if God says something then it is the truth no matter how ridiculous, outrageous or impossible it may sound. These people can therefore not be deceived.

Now some people do not believe this Scripture and they do not carry out these things. Why not? Although they are Christians, in this case they have been deceived not to believe God’s word. That is the bottom line. They do not have faith in this word.

More recent Scriptures canceling this Scripture:

None. There is absolutely no Scriptures that indicates that this Scripture is for some reason not valid anymore or not the truth anymore.

Alternative Statements made by people who do not believe this Scripture:

Signs and wonders were only there to get people to believe. Well it happened. People did believe and therefore signs and wonders are not necessary anymore. (There is no Scripture that supports this statement)

People were only baptized in the Holy Spirit in Biblical times in order to function in the gifts of the Spirit. This was necessary because at that stage they had no Bible yet. Well the Bible was eventually written and therefore we do not need the baptism in the Holy Spirit anymore. (There is no Scripture that supports this statement)

These promises were only for the apostles. It was not for everybody. (There is no Scripture that supports this statement)

God gave us the Bible. Therefore He does not speak to us anymore and therefore He does not perform miracles anymore. The speaking in tongues, the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge gifts are therefore not necessary anymore. In fact all the gifts of the Spirit are not necessary anymore. (There is no Scripture that supports this statement)

God only wanted to establish the church with wonders and signs. Obviously after the church was firmly established signs and wonders were not necessary anymore. (There is no Scripture that supports this statement)

Are there any Scriptures that support these statements? No. Now although there are no Scriptures to support these statements, people do believe these statements. They will try to use certain Scriptures in the Bible to support these views whether those Scriptures are applicable or not. If they cannot find anything to support these views they just believe these statements anyway. Period. These people have been deceived to believe the doctrines of men rather than the word of God. This is actually nothing else than the doctrines of devils.

You will be amazed to see how many Scriptures are either just totally ignored and how many times the exact opposite is believed. Well this is the world of the deceived.

The ultimate “Deception test“

The more Scriptures, like the one above, that you identify as being contradictory to what you believe, the more you have been deceived. This can be quite a shock for some people. The bottom line is that we should actually believe exactly what is written in the Bible. Not the contrary.

Now for those Scriptures on generational curses:

First I need to give you some background on why these Scriptures on generational curses came into existence in the Bible: The Israelites did not really understand the concept of generational curses and so a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of myths came into being in Israel. There was actually quite a debate among the Israelites on this subject. They knew that something of this nature was written in the book of Deuteronomy but that was about all most of them knew about the subject. Remember that those days the Old-Testament was not available to the common man resulting in a lot of speculation about the word of God. Deuteronomy 5:7-10 deals with this aspect.

God saw all the misunderstandings and He heard all the speculations so He decided to get involved in this debate with the sole purpose to set things straight. We read all about this in Ezekiel 18:1-32.

Scripture: The son will not carry the sins of the father and the father will not carry the sins of the son:

Ezekiel 18:17

That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

Ezekiel 18:19

Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Scripture: Even heathen nations and heathen people do not have to be punished for other people’s sin:

John 1:29

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

The Greek word for world in this Scripture is “кόσμος” which means the “whole world and all its residents”. This means that Jesus Christ was punished in our place. Even the sinner does not have to be punished today. This is called the “time of grace”. From the moment that Jesus died and got punished for the world on the cross, nobody is punished until of course an unbeliever dies without Christ. At that moment, when he dies, the curse of the law hits him with full force. That means that the moment a person dies without Christ he now needs to carry his own punishment. This is clearly stated in Isaiah 65:20.

Isaiah 65:20

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

This Scripture pointed to the time of Christ, the good and acceptable year, the “time of grace” where even sinners will live a full and a long life. However when his time of grace runs out, he will be cursed and he will pay the penalties for his sins.

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Scripture: Repent only of your own sin:

Ezekiel 18:21-23

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

Ezekiel 18:26

When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

Ezekiel 18:27-28

Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Ezekiel 18:30-32

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Scripture: People will be punished only for their own sin:

Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:18

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Deuteronomy 24:16

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Scripture: The sins of a person cannot make another person unrighteous:

Ezekiel 18:13-17

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

15That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,

16Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

17That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

Scripture: The righteousness of a person cannot make another person righteous:

10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

God really wanted to kill this false doctrine in its tracks. If you read the whole chapter of Ezekiel 18 you will see that God purposely covered all scenarios and all aspects from all angles in order to make it as clear as daylight. There is no such things as generational curses because everybody pays for his own sin. Because everybody pays for his own sin everybody must repent of his own sin. The accountability of sin is respectively upon each individual. God says a number of times in this chapter that the soul that sins, that soul must die. Even in Deuteronomy 24:16 he said that the son cannot be punished for the father’s sin and the father cannot be punished for the son’s sin. The Bible just cannot be more clear on this subject than this.

Now there is absolutely no Scriptures that states the contrary. So what did the deceivers do to counter this problem? They made a lot of statements that contradict these Scriptures. They even attempted to use some Scriptures out of context to support all these statements.

Here are some of these Scriptures that were taken out of context:

Deuteronomy 5:7-10

7Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

8Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

9Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

Now this portion of Scripture has nothing to do with the church and nothing to do with believers. It has everything to do with people that HATE God. Verse 10 can be related to us though because we are people who LOVE God. It is however quite interesting to note that verse 10 says the same thing as Galatians 3:20. It also says that we are blessed and not cursed. This was God’s way of telling Israel, whom He is about to make a covenant with, how He feels about heathen nations who hate Him. Verse 9 can only be related to people who HATE God. Unbelievers could have been brought into the equation here was it not for Ezekiel 18 which clearly states that the one (son or father) SHALL NOT help to carry the sins and iniquities of the other (son or father). This portion of Scripture does NOT support generational curses in a Christians life because it was at that time only applicable to nations and people who HATED God. It also does NOT support generational curses in an unbelievers life because of Ezekiel 18:20 which clearly states that the one who sins must carry his own punishment and that the son will not carry the father’s iniquities.

Lamentations 5:7

Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

This Scripture has nothing to do with generational curses. It has everything to do with the nation of Israel. Just as we today as an “Afrikaner” nation have to carry the results or burdens of “apartheid” because of the decisions our nation’s forefathers made, so the Israelites had to carry the burdens of the mistakes and sins of their forefathers. “Apartheid” was a sin. Many nations all across the world were burdened and are still burdened because of the sins of their forefathers. Germany and Japan are classic examples of this. Adolf Hitler and the German nation as well as the Japanese nation committed serious atrocities during world war two. Both these nations were severely punished for this in terms of war-penalties and discrimination through the years. The culprits were long dead while their descendants were still paying for their iniquities. This is what this Scripture in Lamentations is all about. It has nothing to do with visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. It has nothing to do with family or generational curses.

Nehemiah 1:1-6

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

Again this portion of Scripture is all about the nation of Israel. Nehemiah fasted and prayed for the nation of Israel that was taken into captivity. He mourned over the walls of Jerusalem that were broken and the gates that were burnt. It has nothing to do with generational curses. Nehemiah also mentioned that he himself and His father’s house also sinned against God. This was all about the judgment of God that came upon the nation of Israel.

I used generational curses as an example to show you how people are being deceived. Although Scripture is clear on the truth people are being conned into believing a lot of things which are not Biblical.

I sincerely hope that you are satisfied with the results of your “Deception test”. My earnest hope is that people would not ignore this truth about God’s word. It is a very important key that will prevent people from being deceived. It will set people free. The moment that people realize that God’s word is written according to this principle they have a very good chance to be set free and not to be deceived again.

I want to repeat this principle once again: “All statements in Scripture is simply the truth exactly as it is written”. When the Bible says God heals then He heals. Period. Is there a scripture that says that God does not heal anymore? No. Then He still heals. Period. Are there a lot of statements with all sorts of reasons why He does not heal anymore. Yes but if it is not in the Bible. It is statements made by men and because of that it is not the truth. Period. Please read this paragraph again. This can and will set you free if you decide to make it part of your life.

The false doctrine called spiritual warfare came into existence exactly as I mentioned above. In fact the false doctrine of generational curses gave birth to the false doctrine of spiritual warfare. It was almost an automatic result of the generational curses doctrine. You will be amazed how many statements, sayings and war-cries, people who believe in these doctrines make and use daily that cannot be find in the Bible. Yet they believe these statements and these doctrines as if it is in the Bible.

Paul used the term “spiritual warfare” as a metaphor but unfortunately people took it literally. Paul did bring the true facts about this subject into perspective in other portions of his letters but people missed that.

I sincerely hope that this post thoroughly introduced you to that all important key that will protect you from being deceived in future. I want to “say” it for a last time just to emphasize it once again: No matter how unbelievable Scripture might seem to you, it always is and always means exactly what it says!